Wedding and a Funeral..........Seriously

Another whirlwind weekend.  It has become the norm rather than the exception.  This one swept in and brought an array of emotion.  It began with the unexpected loss of my first cousin.  She was 50 (which use to seem very old but I am not that far away from that number myself and the older I become the younger that number seems~) and was found in her recliner after family had unsuccessfully attempted to reach her by phone.  She always said she hoped she wouldn't have to suffer as her mother had and it is a blessing that she didn't.  At this point it appears she left us in her sleep as there was no evidence that she tried to use her phone to call someone or anything.  She was a beautiful woman inside and out and will be missed by all who was blessed to have known her.  I can still hear her laugh.....................

Saturday brought an entirely different set of emotions.  My husband's first cousin married the love of her life (after having been part of his life for around 20 years.....) and marked the beginning of their life together as Mr. and Mrs.  It was absolutely beautiful.  A beautiful day (the wedding was outside); temperatures were only slightly nippy; the scene was at a Plantation House around Knoxville and it was such a lovely site and served as a perfect backdrop for a wedding; I so loved the crafty decor and the colors she chose; and it just could not have been any more beautiful!!!

Took a few good pictures that I will share.  I am still a work in progress with regard to photo's but I really enjoy taking pictures and sharing them.  It has been a hobby of mine for many years now.  I suppose I just want to make sure that I have memories and since my memory is not very good I am able to enjoy my memories thru photo's.  Hope you enjoy these.  I have so much on my plate right now and so many ideas of things to blog about.  My intent is to put my thoughts and ideas into words so hang in there with me and keep checking back!

D-husband with D-niece



D-husband can not leave D-niece alone but at least she seems to enjoy it!

A few the bride's flowers

Petals from the Flower Girl-AKA- D-niece

And finally, JDevan and D-niece post-wedding posin'

Her Independence Day

Well, it has finally come to pass.......Jdare has finally reached the day that she has been waiting for..........

COLLEGE

We moved her into her dorm room yesterday. 

Those around me kind of expected me to crumble and spend the next two weeks in mourning but He has given me a peace that I can't explain and I know that I have to trust Him.

Love her sweet roomie and also her family!  Hoping this is the start of a lifetime friendship between them.

Enjoyed the layout of the room, compliments of the roomie's father.

I am a bit conflicted of course.
 Sad that she won't be here everyday.
  Sad that life at home will never be the same. 
Sad that time has flown by and maybe I haven't been all that I have needed to be for her.

Thinking about all that life may throw at her.
Wondering if she will take the road less traveled.
If she is really ready to handle independence.
Wondering how we will adjust to the distance between us (though this facetime thingy is awesome!!!!)

However, I am also very proud and grateful that she is the person she is.
Thankful that she expresses her desire to seek His will for her life.
Thankful that she is His child and that He is in control.
Very grateful that her sweet uncle D planted the seed for her to attend this college.
I am thrilled that our relationship continues to grow and change overtime!!!!!!

And I attempt to prepare myself for what may come to pass.
Rather than worry though I know that prayer is the most important thing I can do and anyone else reading this is certainly welcome to join me in praying for her!

I am the proud mom of a B-Lo girl.
A bit of an inside joke!

19 years???? Really????

Celebrated our 19 year anniversary on Monday.  My understanding of marriage has certainly changed over the  years. 

Marriage takes a lot more than LOVE!!!  Love is not a noun, and it isn't easy to work with sometimes (no pun intended).

Marriage is a lot of work.......

It isn't easy.............

Sometimes you feel like giving up..........

But you don't............

You find a way to make things right.......

You find a way to meet half way............

You realize that this is what you signed up for........

You realize that you can't see yourself without your spouse..........

It begins to make sense.........

You realize that your love has deepened........

Is more seasoned.........

Is maturing...........

You find yourself in an easy chair side by side, legs crossed, a bit of a smile on your face, and you quietly thank God for pulling you through the hard times. 

You ask Him for 19-plus additional years...................

You will accept everyday He gives you!

Happy 19 JDoug!

This "Love" is for you~ (pun intended)

Nothing Better Than Your Very OWN Garden Food

So good and very healthy!!!!

Picture Perfect Beach Trip

Fun vacations come when many different places, cultures, beaches, and good food can all be explored in just a few days.  Well, we have returned from such a vacation in Southern Florida. 

First stop was in Brunswick, Georgia at a very nice beach!

Then on to Florida where we visited four separate beaches.

The first one is Miami!

 

Ft. Lauderdale

Weston

and Pompano

One of my most favorite indulgences (that I can't find around here) is ANYTHING guava.  I discovered guava on our cruise 2 years ago in the form on guava butter and guava juice.  It is sooooo good!

Well, I was so happy to find guava ice cream, pasteries, and guava jelly/jam in Florida.  If you haven't tried this wonderful little fruit, you need to real soon!

My Brain Has Been Invaded

I have literally had a smorgasbord of thoughts and ideas invading my brain today.  That is the great thing about ADHD, I am packing for vacation, cleaning the house, washing clothes, cleaning out the car, AND thinking of blogging ideas.  The down side of ADHD is that right now, with my dining room chairs sitting in the living room so that I can mop the kitchen, and a load of laundry in the washer waiting their turn in the dryer (which has a load that is now dry as indicated by the buzzer), my bed is waiting new sheets, and clothes that need folding..........and yet I have now sit down to blog. 

WELCOME TO MY WORLD!

I am looking forward to being at the beach but it is very stressful thinking about bathing suits.  I tried on my bathing suits this morning which is a very painful way to spend one's morning.  As I veered into the mirror I began to think about dimples of all things.  (Imagine why?)  Well, I have concluded that someone needs to invent a tool to suction out the dimples we have in places we will choose not to name.  If there is a tool such as this for vehicles SURELY someone can invent one for our bodies.

Next on my mind is the fact that I have made my parents proud with my decision to finally plant a garden this year.  It isn't a large garden but we thought we would begin small and work our way up!  (My dad's garden is huge.  Of course my parents can food and give me and my brother and sister food; however, my dad also gathers veggies and distributes them to elderly people in the community and widows in the community.)

I often think about the fact that I won't have my grandmother and mother forever and there is so much knowledge that they have that will be lost unless I begin to document and capture all I can while I can.  So, I am inspired in a way I have never before been. 

I am much of a tomboy and athletic minded.  I have NO talent with regard to decorating a home, landscaping, cooking, OR canning/preserving food.  I come from a family of really good cooks.  I have never had a friend that has come to my parents house to eat that didn't love my mother's cooking.  When I do attempt to cook the same way my mother cooks I typically never attempt it again if it doesn't taste the same way her's does. (My sister isn't nearly as "homemaker challenged" as I am.  She typically helped mom growing up but mom would tell me to go play with my brother so that is what I did.  That is what I am good at........playing, and I really have never overcome it.)

Growing up, I had a cooked breakfast, dinner, and supper EVERY SINGLE DAY.  Mom cooked from scratch and is such a natural at cooking.  JDouglas had never had a homemade biscuit until he came to my mom's to eat and I had never had a canned biscuit until I lived on my own.  Sad but true.

I don't have a big enough garden this year to can or freeze food but I do plan to help my mother and I am going to share the "tricks of the trade" so to speak when I do.  I am also going to share recipes from my mother and grandmother and may even do this by way of video so that I won't have to commit it to memory and challenge my ADHD mind. 

SO, I hope you will stay tuned in the coming weeks and will enjoy having this information as much as I will enjoy obtaining it~

4th of July Weekend

A few pictures of our wonderful past few days!

First with my sister and her family at South Holston Lake:

Then we jetted to Cherokee Lake

Just in time to see JDevan


Wipeout!!!!!!

A scene that was repeated throughout the day.....

The kids really enjoyed their day

Once again, it was time to go, so we jetted on over to the tunnel

For my papaw's 87th birthday (he was born on the 4th of July)

One of the greatest men I know

And he is married to one of the finest women I have ever known!

We have a wonderful family and always enjoy the moments we spend together.

Nothing better than having the freedom to enjoy family and friends.  Americans are so blessed and often take our freedoms for granted.  But, I am very grateful for God's merciful hand on our nation in spite of our lack of expression of appreciation and general lack of acknowledgment!

My Summer has officially begun!

And summer truly begins...........FINALLY

Well, summer school is officially over and therefore summer is officially beginning...........again, and I am very excited. 

Me and my guy survived working together with our 4th graders for the past 4 weeks.  We have already agreed to try it again next year.  Go figure.  JDare enjoyed working with the kids too.  She stated that she LOVED working with the younger students and is thinking of obtaining a minor in education. 

 I just have to share this cute this story she came home with one day.  It involves the same little boy that boarded the wrong bus on the first day of summer school that I wrote about a few weeks ago.  Her story went like this:

"He was sitting behind me and another student teacher and was rubbing our backs and I said, 'What are you doing?'  He said, 'I am wubbing yor backs' and then he said 'I know it isn't awowed but I wealwy want to tiss you." She said she laughingly told him that he was right that it is against the rules.  Had a picture of him but it saved upside down and I can't seem to load it on here correctly for some reason.

Anyway, now that it is over I feel very "free" and I'm glad this feeling came just in time for the 4th! 

We have a new camper to enjoy so I am looking forward to spending some time with the hubby and kids.  Never thought I would enjoy camping AT ALL. Although I am a tomboy at heart and grew up on a farm the idea of camping was an absolute NO then entire 19 years we have been married.  That is until I finally broke down and gave it a whirl last year.  I must admit that it was truly a wonderful and relaxing experience.  I enjoyed taking bike rides, taking walks, swimming, reading, and playing games as a family.  I had envisioned a totally different picture than the reality revealed.  Never say never, right?  My only regret is that I didn't "give in" sooner.

Here is our camper:

And the inside is very roomy so we can take family or friends with us (wink wink)



It is nice and roomy.  In fact, I almost feel that this would be a great alternative to a dorm room.......just saying.

Happy 4th (also my grandfather's birthday) and thanks to all those who have fought and are still fighting for the freedoms we all enjoy!